Identifying and Engaging Stakeholders for Strategic Planning

Identifying and Engaging Stakeholders for Strategic Planning

Identifying and engaging key stakeholders for a strategic planning project is essential for the overall success of the project. Every strategic planning effort is unique, which makes it imperative for planners to identify which departments and individuals will be affected by the efforts, as well as ensuring that all stakeholders remain engaged throughout the process. Liff (as cited by Sare & Ogilvie, 2010) noted that the complexities of strategic planning make it easy for those involved to forget the most important aspect of the project, which is the stakeholders. The purpose of this discussion will be to describe internal and external stakeholders that should be involved in strategic planning at Mountain View Health Center (MVHC). Strategies will be proposed for cultivating relationships with these stakeholders, as well as an explanation of how their involvement would promote the likelihood of success for the strategic plan.

Mountain View Internal and External Stakeholders

Every strategic planning project in health care will involve internal and external stakeholders. The involvement of stakeholders supports the direct allocation of resources necessary to develop a well-organized plan (Jasti, Livesey, Oppenheimer, Boyce, & Long, 2019). According to Marquis and Huston (2017). A stakeholder is defined as any individual, group, organization or system that affects and can be affected by organizational action (Gholap, 2017). Internal stakeholders within MVHC include those individuals who operate within the organization such as employees, administrators, governing boards, donors, and volunteers, while the external stakeholders are typically those individuals impacted by the work of MVHC such as clients (i.e. insurance companies and payers), professional organizations, and community partners (Seithikurippu et al., 2015). In terms of strategic planning, it is important for all stakeholders who will be affected by the project to be actively engaged. Affected parties can be identified by conducting a stakeholder analysis to determine whose interest should be considered throughout the project because they ultimately influence the project and determine its effectiveness (Seithikurippu et al., 2015).